When the carriages arrived at the Meridian Gate, the Fourth Prince ordered all the carriages to stop, and then Lanqin heard voices outside inviting them to disembark. Except for the white deer, everyone disembarked from the carriages and walked into the Forbidden City.

The Fourth Prince walked at the front with his wife, followed by the servants and the First Prince. Next was Lady Li, supported by her maid. The Third and Fourth Princes followed behind her, each accompanied by their wet nurses. Lanqin and her two servants naturally brought up the rear.

"Princess, the Forbidden City is so big and beautiful!" Holding the brocade box, Nianxue walked on Lanqin's right, while supporting Lanqin on her left, following behind Consort Li. Xicha was excited, her face beaming with joy; this was her first time entering the magnificent Forbidden City.

"Shh, don't speak. In this palace, the most important thing is to follow the rules!" Nianxue turned around and glared at Xicha, who was following behind them. She had learned the rules of the palace from Lanqin before Lanqin entered the palace for the imperial concubine selection.

Xi Cha immediately withdrew her gaze from looking around, shut her mouth, and silently followed behind Lan Qin and the others.

“Nianxue, don’t be so proper all the time. Xicha is visiting the Forbidden City for the first time, so it’s natural that she finds it all new and exciting,” Lanqin said. In fact, she herself couldn’t help but look around as well. During the last imperial concubine selection, they entered the Forbidden City through the Zhenshun Gate, the back gate, and were placed in the Chuxiu Palace. They didn’t have the chance to see the grandeur of the Forbidden City from three hundred years ago.

"Yes, Princess, watch your step." Nianxue replied with a wronged tone, reminding Lanqin to watch her step.

Under the morning sunlight, the group walked for most of the day before arriving at the gate of Yonghe Palace, located in the northeast of the Forbidden City. Palace servants had already hung large red lanterns at the gate. Upon seeing the Fourth Prince and his wife, the gatekeepers, recognizing them, immediately curtsied and greeted them: "May the Fourth Prince and Fourth Princess be blessed with longevity and good health!"

"Little Fuzi, has Her Majesty risen yet?" the Fourth Prince asked a eunuch who was paying his respects.

"Reporting to Fourth Prince, His Majesty has already risen. He is currently in the Buddhist hall, and Fourteenth Prince and his wife have already arrived." Xiao Fuzi casually mentioned that Fourteenth Prince had arrived before him. Actually, this wasn't surprising, as Fourteenth Prince still lived in the Princes' quarters, which was naturally more convenient for him than for Fourth Prince. However, this unintentional remark still displeased Fourth Prince.

Led by palace servants, the Fourth Prince and his entourage arrived at the main palace of Yonghe Palace. Although the sun was just rising outside, Lanqin couldn't help but shiver upon entering the deep inner palace. The palace lighting was poor; palace servants stood in the four corners, but they stood there silently like pillars. Because of the poor lighting, seeing them suddenly would often startle one.

Why is this palace so gloomy? Living here for a long time would scare people to death! Lanqin thought to herself. Not only her, but Nianxue, who was supporting Lanqin, was also visibly trembling. Xicha dared not make a sound.

"Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, you've arrived." The Fourteenth Prince was sitting in the guest seat below the main seat with his primary wife, Lady Wanyan. Seeing that the Fourth Prince had been brought in by the palace servants, he immediately got up, took a few steps, and greeted them.

"Fourteenth Brother is here very early!" Fourth Master replied sarcastically. Lanqin knew immediately that there was something fishy about his words.

"Hey, Fourth Master, is it worth getting angry with that idiot? Besides, he's your own brother!" Lanqin thought to herself.

At times like these, the Fourth Prince's mean and petty side would emerge. After saying this, he turned and walked out of the hall, and no one knew where he was going.

Fourth Princess Consort led everyone to sit in the guest seat opposite the Fourteenth Prince. Lanqin was not entitled to sit there, so she stood behind Li Shi, in a row with Li Mama, Mingyan and others.

After the Fourteenth Prince's wife and the Fourth Prince's wife exchanged greetings, they had nothing more to say. Lanqin couldn't help but take a look at the Fourteenth Prince's wife—Wanyan Shi: a spoiled little beauty, actually quite a good match for the Fourteenth Prince.

"Princess Niu, what are you giving to Mother?" The Fourteenth Prince spotted Xicha hiding behind Lanqin, holding a brocade box. Bored, he broke the awkward silence in the hall.

"Wait a moment, after I congratulate Consort De, the Fourteenth Prince will know." Lanqin cursed him in her heart, but her tone was unusually gentle and polite.

Seeing that the Fourth Prince's wife was there, the Fourteenth Prince did not dare to act rashly. Otherwise, he would have already jumped to Lanqin's side and opened the brocade box himself.

"Are you Princess Niohuru?" Wanyan asked suddenly, a strange look flashing across her face.

Lanqin was surprised that the Fourteenth Princess Consort would suddenly ask her a question, so she gave her a slight curtsy and said, "In response to the Thirteenth Princess Consort, I am Niohuru."

It's infuriating that although this Wanyan woman is younger than Lanqin, she is the primary consort of the Fourteenth Prince, and her status and position are higher than Lanqin's. Lanqin has to bow to her.

After Lanqin finished her greetings, Wanyan looked Lanqin up and down with a clearly unfriendly gaze, which naturally caught the attention of the Fourth Princess Consort.

"Does the younger sister know Princess Niu from the elder sister's household?" The Fujin asked gently with a smile.

"Fourth Sister-in-law, don't listen to her. I only heard a few words from Princess Niu, and she's gone crazy, insisting on seeing Princess Niu," the Fourteenth Prince quickly said.

What! What did that idiot say about me to his wife, making this pretty girl across from him look so aggressive! Lanqin could tell from Wanyan's eyes that the Fourteenth Prince had dragged her into this mess just in time.

"Oh, Princess Niu, how do you know the Fourteenth Prince?" The Fourth Princess Consort's eyes showed even more doubt.

“Replying to Your Highness, during the few days that I was at the estate with Fourth Prince, Fourteenth Prince visited, as did Eighth Prince, Ninth Prince, and Tenth Prince, who all stayed at the estate for two or three days. That was when I first met Fourteenth Prince.”

"Then what exactly did you say to our master that made him insist on me having a child? This princess doesn't want to have children right now." As soon as Wanyan said this, the whole room was in an uproar.

Upon hearing this, Fourth Princess Consort's face immediately flushed slightly, and she said, "Sister-in-law, don't forget where you are. Stop making a fuss and disturbing Mother's peace."

Upon hearing this, Lanqin was immediately dumbfounded, thinking to herself: What kind of brain does this Fourteenth Princess Consort have? She dares to say such things in public.

"If you don't want to have children, fine, someone else will have them for me!" The Fourteenth Prince said angrily when he saw that Lady Wanyan had revealed their private matters.

"How dare you!" Wanyan suddenly stood up and pointed at the Fourteenth Prince.

"What are you all arguing about, Fourteenth Prince? Tell your wife to sit down!" A dignified and solemn voice suddenly called out.